Contents introduction chapter I. Problems and challenges in teaching and learning speaking at advanced level

 
The structure of the course paper consists of introduction, two main 
chapters, conclusion and the list of used literature
 KEYWORDS: speaking skill, teaching, speaking, EFL learners, task, evaluation. 

---

CHAPTER I. PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN TEACHING AND 
LEARNING SPEAKING AT ADVANCED LEVEL 
1.1.General problems in teaching speaking 
 
The position of speaking in the hierarchy of language skills has evolved over 
the centuries. Rather ignored in the Grammar – Translation Method, it became a 
primary skill in the Direct Method. Audiolingualism brought even more focus on 
speaking, although the linguistic principle it was based on viewed oral discourse as 
imitative routine behaviour in typical and predictable situations. The grammatical 
syllabus of the Cognitive Method incorporated activities in all language skills, 
attaching equal importance to each of them. Finally, Communicative Language 
Teaching added a more realistic dimension to teaching oral discourse by 
introducing numerous forms of interaction to the classroom and practising the 
language in natural or probable situations which demanded defining of the discourse 
genre and the roles of participants. Although the contribution of CLT to developing 
forms of speaking practice in the language classroom can hardly be overestimated, 
there is a growing tendency among researchers and practitioners to criticize it for its 
insufficient recognition of the complexity of speaking as a psycholinguistic process 
and of placing too strong an emphasis on information gap criterion as leading to 
artificial or impractical tasks.
1
Nowadays, in spite of the inevitable criticism of available methods, 
techniques or resources, speaking is generally perceived as the most fundamental 
skill to acquire. Since the onset of the communicative era it has been treated as 
the ultimate goal of language training and its proper development has become the 
focus of attention of both teachers and learners. However, it is also a commonly 
recognized fact that achieving proficiency in foreign language speaking in 
classroom conditions is not an easy task. Even advanced learners often finish a 
language course with the conviction that they are not sufficiently prepared for 
speaking beyond the classroom. This difficulty results basically from the character 
1
Ahmed, S. (2015). Attitudes towards English language learning among EFL learners at UMSKAL. 
Journal of Education and Practice, 6(18), 6-18. http://www.iiste.org
 

---

5 
and inadequate frequency of speaking opportunities in the classroom in comparison 
to the abundance of natural varieties and genres of oral communication. In fact, 
selecting the most appropriate types of spoken discourse for classroom practice in 
a particular language course is a very hard decision which, unfortunately, hardly 
ever reflects the natural occurrence and distribution of communicative situations. 
Additionally, an advanced language course should create optimal conditions for 
developing learners’ sociocultural knowledge, that is “the culturally embedded rules 
of social behaviour” and their linguistic knowledge, which includes discourse and 
speech act knowledge, and knowledge of the grammar, vocabulary and phonology of 
the target language. These knowledge areas must then be appropriately activated in 
order to be made available for use in regular speaking practice in the classroom and 
beyond.
2
Importantly, as far as the stages of mental processing involved in speaking are 
concerned, there is not much difference between native and target languages. Both 
combine the processes of conceptualizing, formulating, articulating, self-monitoring 
and negotiating. Yet, the skill of speaking is not automatically transferable from the 
speaker’s first language into the second. Even extensive knowledge of the target 
language’s grammar and vocabulary often presented by advanced students of foreign 
language departments does not guarantee success in oral communication when this 
knowledge is not properly integrated or accessed. Problems in speaking may be 
additionally aggravated by excessive use of self-monitoring processes and a 
tendency to formulate utterances in the native language first. These mental 
operations create obvious costs in terms of fluency and may lead to producing 
artificial discourse. 
Other problems that are commonly observed in the language classroom are 
related to individual learners’ personalities and attitudes to the learning process and 
learning speaking in particular. They can be defined as follows: 
2
Akbari, Z. (2016). The study of EFL students' perceptions of their problems, needs and concerns over 
learning English: The Case of MA paramedical students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 232, 
24-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.006
 

---

• 
inhibition – fear of making mistakes, losing face, criticism; shyness; 
• 
nothing to say – learners have problems with finding motives to speak, 
formulating opinions or relevant comments; 
• 
low or uneven participation – often caused by the tendency of some learners 
to dominate in the group; 
• 
mother-tongue use – particularly common in less disciplined or less 
motivated classes, learners find it easier or more natural to express themselves in 
their native language. 
As many teachers’ observations indicate, the above situations occur in 
language classrooms regardless of the level of proficiency or the number of students 
in the group. Moreover, every learner enters any learning and communicative 
environment with his or her entire personality additionally shaped by their prior 
learning and communicative experiences, both positive and negative. This individual 
dimension is particularly noticeable among older and more advanced learners who 
often have a good insight into the nature of their individual difficulties, an accurate 
assessment of the skills they have already developed and, consequently, clearly 
defined needs.
3